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Council rejects $10M food-and-beverage appropriation for convention center after controller flags timing; public questions open PO
Summary
On May 21 the council voted 0–7 to reject an appropriation of $10 million in food-and-beverage tax funds for the Monroe County Convention Center expansion after the city controller urged delaying the appropriation because bond proceeds will cover near-term costs; members of the public raised questions about an open PO to architect Schmidt Associates.
The Bloomington City Council voted unanimously to reject (0–7) an appropriation ordinance that would have moved $10,000,000 from the city's food-and-beverage tax fund to the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board (CIB) for the Monroe County Convention Center expansion.
Controller McClellan told the council that earlier expectations about needing cash on hand were incorrect and that bond proceeds will cover early project costs; he asked the council "not to pass this ordinance tonight." After public comment raised questions about an open purchase order to Schmidt Associates and project cost accounting, councilmembers supported the controller's recommendation and voted the appropriation down.
Public concerns and fiscal details Kevin Keough (online) summarized publicly available documents and said the open PO balance he saw in the fiscal statement was "$9,000,008.47" and questioned whether architect fees and other soft costs were being tracked and disclosed consistently. The controller said he would check the detailed numbers referenced and noted there is only one open PO to Schmidt Associates on the city's books related to the project; he also said bond funds and the project's budget will cover planned expenditures.
Council action and rationale Council considered but did not adopt Appropriation Ordinance 20-25-06, which the clerk read as an ordinance to appropriate $10,000,000 for the CIB to begin construction on the convention center expansion. Following Controller McClellan's explanation and public questioning, the council voted by roll call with all members voting "No," and the measure failed 0–7. Councilmembers and staff said the item will be revisited in future meetings after additional clarification from the controller and the CIB.
Next steps Controller McClellan and CIB representatives were asked to provide more transparent documentation on open POs, recent invoices and the timing of bond proceeds before the council considers any future appropriation. Members of the public were directed to CIB meetings for project-level questions.
